First - why.
As seen above, the driver's side exhaust manifolds have a tendency to crack. Mine split at about 33,000 miles or so. I forget exactly.

Second-
Shorty headers? Yes. They're cheaper and dont require a lot of cutting and head scratching. Ripp Mods has a set of long tube headers that I hear are pretty decent. Borla's long tubes are "offroad only"... but look like theres almost enough room for cats. I didnt want the headache. Simple as that.

Third - choice.
There is a decent selection. I considered buying the Rugged Ridge (Omix-Ada?) headers, but while at Jeep Beach, I found that Rusty's distributes a set of shorty headers for the JK from Flowdaddy. They were on display and I would have brought a set home if it hadn't been for one little hitch... which Rusty promised to work around later in the week. Another reason why I like dealing with small-town businesses. Rusty is a busy guy, but he holds to his word. :thumbsup: Besides that. I like the looks of the headers.

Ok.
Here we go. I only had one problem with the kit. No instructions. The install is relatively easy, but there are some hurdles. Earlier this week before the install, I took time on the internets to look up several manufacturer's installation instructions for both short and long tube headers, just so I'd have all the angles covered. One set tells you to remove the whole inner fender/battery tray on the passenger side... and this is what I attacked first.

Before installing, I took some pics of the welds. The pics didn't come out all that great, but, but welds are clean and obviously hot enough. The welds were only cleaned up where necessary for flow... Good job. Full circumference welds inside the tubes with wide tacks on the outside of the tubes to the flanges. Flanges are pretty thick and plenty stout.

Now.. the tray. It came out pretty easy, but it does add some time to the job. The dividend is the amount of room you have to work with once its out of the way. Wouldnt recommend doing it with the tray in... its worth the effort to remove it. PLUS... it gives you an opportunity to clean up some electrical routing you "may" have done earlier.

I had sprayed the nuts on the heat shields and the lower flange bolts with PB Blaster the night before and about an hour before starting. Everything came apart pretty easily. The factory manifold bolts were plenty tight on the passenger side. Once I had the passenger side out, a few of the instructions tell you to reuse the passenger side heat shield. Since the battery is "right there", I felt it was a good idea... plus, considering the little bolts included in the kit, I think thats what Flowdaddy would have suggested as well... if I had instructions.

The new header slides right in with no fuss. I put all bolts in before tightening anything, leaving the two for the heat shield loose. Loc-tite on the lower flange bolts... went together pretty easily.

Ok. Now.. the Driver's side.
You can see some of the crack in the picture. Like I said... about 3/4 around the #2 outlet.

One thing I didnt see anywhere was to remove the ignition coil. Getting the stocker out was no problem, but the header would NOT fit.

You can see how tight a fit it is with Flowdaddy's included heat shield.

The driver's side is the biggest PITA to do. Why? Well, the heat shield is a nice thing to include. Its known that the plug wires will roast on the drivers side. Which is the reason why I had gotten some "socks" for the plugs. I had to bend the heat shield in so I could get the upper bolt in on the #4 outlet. I didn't feel good about prying against the valve cover, but the metal mount for the coil pack is convenient and solid enough.

Here you can see the lower view on the passenger side with the heat shield installed...

... and here from the driver's side.

Final word?
I like em. I pulled the factory muffler back off and put the old Flowmaster back on. Before I did the job, I shot some video. Honestly... it doesnt appear any louder. A little throatier? Yes. We'll see if there was any change (+/-) at all on economy... which I really doubt. I'll have some links for before and after video tomorrow. I can't access youtube from work....

Updated Summary: June 24, 2012
i've also sent in my suggestions to Flowdaddy and Rusty's.
1- removable heat shield
2- include plug boot socks
3- put lock nuts in hardware kits
4- put up some instructions on the website at least.

I look at these as a "builder part", similar to what you'd get from poison spider or others. the quality appears to be very nice, but you need to know what you're doing to install them and work around any headaches in the installation process.

I recorded video with the Flowmaster and with no muffler at all.
Before and after the header install.
You can only hear a slight difference in the exhaust note with no muffler. The Flowmaster sounds pretty much the same to me.

Heres the catch. Its on Facebook. (suck it up)
Our page is open anyway... if you can view it, here ya go.

Thanks to To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., for their help & support.

So how happy are you with these since you have had them installed for a while? Did you gain any MPG? Are they holding up well? Has the heat shield rusted at all? Any issues with the gaskets leaking? ect...

"maybe" and 1-2 mpg increase overall. i used to stay in the 13s. since then, it stays in the 14s with the occasional venture into the 15's. i drive it hard because its a slug... so...

only issue i had is one of the bolts on the left exhaust flange came loose. tightened it up and no other problems. finish is still very good. the DEI spark plug boots have prevented plug wire melting... and no chafing/cuts on the middle boot sleeve. no discoloration from heat exposure, either.

so far, i've been pleased.
when i got them, i considered them a stock replacement... with the prime investment as "looking cool". no loss in performance or mileage. no noise. so. i'm good with the result. i wouldn't call em a prime competitor with long tubes and a programmer, though. i still need a programmer anyway.

i'm pretty sure that the plugs are accessible. a little snug... but using a plug socket or deep well with a swivel should work fine. there is some recess cut in the shield in order to have access to the spark plugs.

I was able to easily install the headers without removing the battery or the battery tray, any of the fender flares or the steering column shaft. Heck I was even able to keep the air intake on as well. You do need to unbolt the spark plug plug coil pack to insert the drivers side header. This is due to the PITA heat shield.

Well I have 59,210 miles on our JK and the stock manifold has a 4+ inch crack in it!! Total Chinese Junk! Shame on you Chrysler! I have owned 5 new vehicles in my life and this is the second Chrysler made vehicle that a manifold has cracked on me. (My first was a 1990 Eagle Talon) This is 100% negligence and Chrysler simply cutting costs.

Rusty's if you reading this PLEASE make the heat shield a bolt on removable unit. That heat shield turns the drivers side install into a unnecessary nightmare to install! Its very hard to access the bolts and to plug in the spark plug wires, and even harder with the heat sock boots on. I'm definitely not looking forward to replacing the spark plugs down the road.

Also, I did have to modify the the stock passenger side heat shield to get it to fit correctly. It would have been easier to do if I knew it was not going to fit before I bolted on the passenger side header.

As for performance............YES, there is a BIG difference. Not a slight difference a BIG difference. Now since I'm not sure exactly when my manifold cracked and for how long I lost the power I did have, this is my honest opinion I can give. But my wife and I can both tell there is a BIG a difference.

I will report back on the gas millage once I can stop from having a lead foot..

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